1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a golf club having upper and lower elliptically shaped grip members that are adapted to be rotated relative to one another and locked in predetermined positions around the golf club shaft to enable a golfer to grasp the club in a consistent and optimum manner during play.
2. Background Art
As will be known to those who play the game of golf, the traditional golf club includes a wood or metal club head affixed to one end of an elongated, cylindrical shaft. A grip is uniformly wound around the opposite end of the shaft to enable the golfer to reliably grasp the club during play. A hand-over-hand approach is universally adopted by golfers for grasping the golf club. That is to say, the golfer's hands are wrapped around the grip such that one hand is located in axial alignment with the other hand in a direction corresponding to the longitudinal axis of the shaft.
In a majority of golf shots, the golfer's hands are rotated relative to one another along the grip. Thus, the golfer's wrists are separated by an angle, the magnitude of which is determined by the habits of the golfer and the particular club to be played in accordance with the conditions of the golf course. Because the shaft of the golf club and the grip wound thereover are continuously cylindrical, there is no easy way for the golfer to be certain that his hands are constantly rotated to the desired alignment each time that a particular club is played. Therefore, the golfer may not be able to have the head of the club consistently strike his golf ball at the same angle as a consequence of his hands not always assuming optimal positions around the grip for successive golf strokes during which the club is used.
It would therefore be desirable to overcome these problems inherent in a conventional golf club by means of a golf club having a pair of non-cylindrical grip members that can be selectively rotated relative to one another and locked in positions around the shaft to enable the golfer to grip and play the club in a consistent and optimal manner.